The writings and poetry of the ancient Persian poet, Hafiz
Across the years, I have stumbled across some of Hafiz’s words. From greeting cards to Instagram, his words seemed to always trickle in. As a lover of Rumi, I have always been curious about the other infamous Sufi poet. His words are equally ancient, written during the 1300s. Apparently in the Persian speaking world, many people memorize his words to use as proverbs and sayings.
And I can see why. They are laden with emotions and truths about the human condition. However, when reading myself I was surprised about his “bleeding heart” and his near constant adoration of wine. By bleeding heart, I mean that his heart oscillated between the highest of high and the lowest of lows, in overly dramatic sweeping gestures and words. But memorizing his convoluted sentences, woof! What a task!
Hafiz, why art thou ever telling o’er
Hafiz
The tale of absence and of sorrow’s night?
Knowest thou not that parting goes before
All meeting, and from darkness comes the light!
I do adore the sentiment though, that parting goes before all meeting. That we must be apart before we can be together. That isn’t how we usually view it, is it? We normally obsess over the leaving after meeting, over the separation that follows not the initial separation that precedes. It’s a beautiful way to adjust our perception to the before versus the after. It’s food for thought.
As there are many books of Hafiz’s work, I read: “The Selected Poems of Hafiz,” a brief 82 page book that I hoped would provide a portal into his work. Admittably, I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for a deeper emotional connection to his work, as some of the sayings I have encountered before hit home. This work seemed to encompass mainly sentiments about a bleeding heart. I wanted a wider emotional landscape.
That being said, I wanted to share one of my favorite lines with you:
Ah, seek the treasure of a mind at rest
Hafiz
And store it in the treasury of Ease
This reminded me very much of my meditation and yoga practice. A mind at rest is a treasure. It is what I am seeking here on my journey. A peaceful mind, a contented mind. A mind that doesn’t dart from here and there, constantly pushing and pulling. I am seeking a mind that is able to rest in the breath, to rest in the present moment, to rest in the now.
Why not share a few more quotes with you?
The goal lies far, and perilous is thy road,
Hafiz
Yet every path leads to that same abode
Where thou shalt drop thy load—oh, weep no more!
When love is done—
Where is the extinguished lamp that made night day,
Where is the sun?Balm to mine eyes the dust, my head I bow
Hafiz
Upon thy stair.
Where shall I go, where from thy presence? thou
Art everywhere.
The span of thy life is as five little days,
Hafiz
Brief hours and swift in this halting-place;
Rest softly, ah rest! while the Shadow delays,
For Time’s self is nought and the dial’s face.
On the lip of Oblivion we linger, and short
Is the way from the Lip to the Mouth where we pass
What quote resonates with you the most? Let me know, I would love to hear.
With Love, the Wild Yoga Tribe
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